Special Educational Needs

Image 1Learning a language is of value to the majority of children with special educational needs. Experience has shown that these children enjoy their language learning experience and improve their overall achievement as a result. In particular children make progress in their linguistic and social development, cultural awareness and their self esteem.

The different methods of delivery in primary languages offer children a range of opportunities to engage with the subject. You will already be aware of the different needs and abilities of the children in your class and can plan a range of activities to ensure that everyone can access learning. The safe and secure environment of the primary languages classroom encourages all children to participate and enjoy the buzz of learning a new language.

Questions

- How do you structure the delivery of your language lessons to accommodate the needs and abilities of all the children in your class?

- Which activities in the primary languages classroom help children to develop their social skills?

- Think about a child with SEN in your class. In which activities are they most keen to participate? In which activities are they most successful? How has participated in primary languages helped this child to make progress?

Activity

“The aim of teaching foreign languages to pupils with special needs goes beyond preparing him/her to have a specific level of communicative competence in order to use the target language in professional and personal life. SEN pupils can and do achieve high levels of foreign language competence, but there are those who do not.

However, those lower level achievers are able to achieve other benefits, relating to personal and educational development, alongside possible modest linguistic achievement. To encourage a pupil to bypass foreign language learning because of low foreign language expectations is to deny him/her access to these benefits which link directly to European citizenship.” European Commission (2005)

  • Do you agree with the view expressed above?
  • Think of three additional strategies and support we can offer all children to allow them to access the primary languages curriculum.
  • Languages Work
  • lingu@net europa
  • Languages ICT
  • ITT MFL
  • Vocational Languages Resource Bank